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| United States Patent |
5,092,467
|
|
Elward
|
March 3, 1992
|
Shipping and display container
Abstract
A container for shipping and displaying an individually packaged food
comestible. It includes retainers which permanently retain the package
when the container is closed. The container is created from a unitary
sheet blank produced by the single strike of a die. The blank includes
bottom, top and side panels demarcated by longitudinal and transverse fold
lines. Two parallel transverse fold lines define matched side flaps on
each side panel and retainer tabs on the bottom panel. Oblique fold lines,
at angles of less than 90.degree. with respect to the transverse fold
lines, form four side sections disposed between each side flap and its
corresponding retainer tab. In manufacturing the container, from the
blank, each pair of side flaps and retainer tab are folded, along
respective transverse fold lines, into contact with the corresponding side
panels and bottom panel. Each side flap is securely held, relative to its
respective side panel. When a package is placed within the confines of the
bottom panel, and the panels are folded along the longitudinal fold lines,
the act of folding causes the retainer tabs to lift away from the bottom
panel and into a compressed uplifted position which firmly retains the
package.
| Inventors:
|
Elward; John (Novato, CA)
|
| Assignee:
|
The Clorox Company (Oakland, CA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
544020 |
| Filed:
|
June 25, 1990 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
206/784; 206/485.1; 229/103.2 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65D 073/00 |
| Field of Search: |
229/40
206/491,45.14
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2713451 | Jul., 1955 | Williamson et al. | 229/40.
|
| 3137435 | Jun., 1964 | Meyers | 229/40.
|
| 3156377 | Nov., 1964 | Wysocki | 229/40.
|
| 3157309 | Nov., 1964 | Chidsey, Jr. et al. | 229/40.
|
| 3167214 | Jan., 1965 | Mahon | 206/491.
|
| 3389645 | Jun., 1968 | Winters et al. | 93/44.
|
| 3439589 | Apr., 1969 | Geisler et al. | 93/52.
|
| 3454212 | Jul., 1969 | Elward | 229/51.
|
| 3604614 | Sep., 1971 | Sternfeld | 229/40.
|
| 3627541 | Dec., 1971 | Farguhar | 99/171.
|
| 3679122 | Jul., 1972 | Neff | 229/40.
|
| 3680691 | Aug., 1972 | Lock | 206/65.
|
| 3705681 | Dec., 1972 | Rossi et al. | 229/40.
|
| 3828926 | Aug., 1974 | Rossi | 206/427.
|
| 3923236 | Dec., 1975 | Calvert | 229/40.
|
| 3987893 | Oct., 1976 | Hanson | 206/45.
|
| 4096985 | Jun., 1978 | Wood | 229/40.
|
| 4105152 | Aug., 1978 | Elward | 229/23.
|
| 4328891 | May., 1982 | Elward | 206/158.
|
| 4362240 | Dec., 1982 | Elward | 206/188.
|
| 4451001 | May., 1984 | Webinger | 229/40.
|
| 4452355 | Jun., 1984 | Benham | 206/45.
|
| 4582199 | Apr., 1986 | Schuster | 229/40.
|
| 4732316 | Mar., 1988 | Oliff et al. | 229/40.
|
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2124590 | Feb., 1984 | GB | 206/45.
|
Primary Examiner: Price; William I.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Krauss; Warren J.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 07/316,418 filed
on 02/27/89 and now abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. A container for retaining and displaying a unitary package comprising; a
foldable sheet material blank, said sheet material blank having bottom
panel means for engaging a bottom portion of said package and having side
panel means and top panel means for engaging side and top portions
respectively of said unitary package, said side panel means being defined
by and separated from said bottom panel means and said top panel means by
a plurality of longitudinal fold lines, said side, top, and bottom panel
means also being defined by a plurality of transverse fold lines, retainer
tab means extending from said bottom panel means for solely securely
retaining said unitary package against longitudinal movement relative to
said bottom panel means within said container, said retainer tab means
being configured so as to fixedly engage said unitary package of
comparable configuration, side flap means extending from said side panel
means, said retainer tab means being disposed between said side flap
means, holding means for holding said side flap means in folded engagement
with said side panel means, said holding means and said retainer tab means
being formed for causing said retainer tab means to raise away from said
bottom panel means and to incline inwardly upon folding of said sheet
material blank along said longitudinal fold lines.
2. The container of claim 1, further including fastener means, said
fastener means comprising fastener tab means on said top panel means, said
side panel means including fastener slot means for cooperatively engaging
said fastener tab means to retain said container in a folded
configuration.
3. The container of claim 1, further including fastener means, said
fastener means including adherent medium for fastening said top panel
means relative to said side panel means.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein oblique fold lines are provided in
said sheet material blank proximate said retainer tab means, said oblique
fold lines being disposed for causing said retainer tab means to move away
from said bottom panel means to form a raised surface for engaging said
package.
5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said oblique fold lines form side
section means disposed between said side flap means and said retainer tab
means, each of said oblique fold lines being disposed with respect to said
transverse fold lines at an angle of less than 90.degree..
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a container and to a method of making a container
for retaining a comestible package for shipping and display purposes. The
container is made from a unitary blank of flexible sheet material which
may be formed the single strike of an appropriate cutting and forming die.
By the simple expedient of folding and holding in place oppositely
disposed side flaps on the blank, one automatically produces effective
retaining means for engaging and retaining in place the packed comestible.
A simple and economically fabricated, one piece, container for shipping and
displaying a shaped comestible package has been long sought. In the past,
such containers were often made from a plurality of pieces of stock
material folded or pieced together in complicated arrangements, increasing
the cost of production thereof.
The present invention utilizes a single piece of sheet stock material
which, after cutting and forming, requires only a single manufacturing
step to provide a reliable retainer means for engagement with the packed
comestible in use. All of the fold lines and the blank itself can be
produced by the single strike of an appropriate cutting and forming die.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The instant shipping and display container comprises a blank made of a
unitary piece of foldable sheet material formed by a single strike of an
appropriate die. The blank has suitable side, top, and bottom panels
delineated with respect to one another by longitudinally disposed fold
lines.
The side panels and bottom panel are separated from respective side flaps
and retainer tabs by transverse fold lines. Between the side flaps and
retainer tabs are disposed side sections which, along with the retainer
tabs, are appropriately cut to form a surface for engaging a
correspondingly shaped surface of a comestible package when the package is
held within the container.
The retainer tabs are formed by the simple act of folding the side panels
with respect to the bottom panel. In preparation for this step, the
retainer tabs are readied for movement into a raised operative
configuration by the folding and holding down, as by mechanical means,
glue, or similar holding means, of the side flaps upon their respective
side panels. With the side flaps thus held fixedly with respect to the
side panels, transverse movement of the side flaps with respect to the
side panels is prevented. As a result, folding of the side panels with
respect to the bottom panel, along the longitudinal fold lines, creates a
compression of the material forming the retainer tabs and associated side
sections, forcing the retainer tabs to raise upwardly away from the bottom
panel.
The retainer tabs are urged into an operative configuration by means of
oblique fold lines which respectively separate each side flap from its
adjacent side section and each side section from its adjacent retainer
tab. There are four oblique fold lines for each of the two retainer tabs.
The angles between each oblique fold line and the transverse fold lines
for the side panels are less than 90.degree..
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a shipping and
display container which is simple in design, while strong and effective in
retaining a packed comestible for display and shipping purposes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shipping and
display container made from a single piece of foldable sheet stock
fabricatable by means of a single strike from an appropriate cutting and
scoring die.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sheet stock blank
which, by means of a single fold and holding operation, can assume a three
dimensional shape which retains a packed comestible in place.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the following drawings and descriptions.
The accompanying drawings show, by way of illustration, the preferred
embodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof. It should
be recognized that other embodiments of the invention, applying the same
or equivalent principles, may be used and that structural changes may be
made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the instant sheet stock blank configured to form
the container of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container shown after a single fold and
holding procedure has fixed the side flaps with respect to each side
panel. This figure also shows an alternate form of fastener means;
FIG. 3 is an isometric view, partially in section and partially in phantom,
of the instant container shown folded and fastened into operative
condition retaining a comestible package; and
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the container in a partially folded
configuration showing mechanical holding means holding the side flaps
fixed with respect to the side panels.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to FIG. 1 in the drawings, the construction of the sheet
stock blank from which the instant shipping and display container is
fabricated may be appreciated. A continuous strip of foldable sheet
material, such as cardboard, paper or the like, is cut into discrete,
generally rectangular shapes. With the single strike of an appropriate
die, the entire configuration shown in FIG. 1 may be cut and formed.
As will be appreciated, the blank is comprised of a rectangularly shaped
bottom panel 4 and top panel 4'. These panels are separated from a pair of
side panels 2, 2' by means of longitudinally disposed fold lines 10, 10',
and 12. The fold lines, all predisposing the sheet material to fold in the
same direction (upwardly, toward the viewer of FIG. 1), are applied by the
same die which cuts the blank to its basic shape.
The side panels and the bottom panel have extended portions which form the
inventive aspects of the present invention. Separated by transverse fold
lines 16 and 16' from respective side panels and bottom panel, are side
flaps 6, 6', 8, 8' and retainer tabs 18, 18' respectively. The retainer
tabs are separated from the side flaps by four side sections 20, 20', 21,
21'. These side sections are formed by oblique fold lines 26, 26', 28,
28', 32, 32', 30, 30'. These oblique fold lines are disposed with respect
to transverse fold lines 16, 16' by angles "A" and "B" of less than
90.degree..
Separated from one of the side panels 2 by the longitudinal fold line 12 is
the top panel 4'. The top panel is equipped with a pair of fastener tabs
23, 23'. These tabs are adapted to engage a pair of cooperative fastener
slots 22, 22' which are cut into the side panel 2. With reference to FIG.
4, an alternative fastening means, in lieu of the tabs and slots, may be
readily appreciated. An adhesive strip, such as hot melt glue or the like
is shown at 34 applied to the side panel extension 2. FIG. 3 shows the
container in closed configuration, with the strip 34 in adherent
engagement with the top panel 4'.
FIG. 2 shows the sheet blank of the present invention after a single
manufacturing process has been employed to prepare it for use as a
container. By comparing the blank configuration shown in FIG. 1 with that
shown in FIG. 2, it will be readily appreciated that the side flaps 6, 8,
6', 8' have been folded down into contact with the side panels 2, 2'. It
may also be noted that the corresponding retainer tabs 18, 18' have been
folded flat into contact with the bottom panel 4. In one embodiment, as
part of the folding process, adherent medium, such as hot melt glue is
applied only between the side flaps 6, 6', 8, 8' and contiguous areas of
the side panels. Once the glue on such areas has set, the interior
surfaces of the folded side flaps are held against movement with respect
to the interior surfaces of the side panels 2, and 2'. In the preferred
embodiment, mechanical means, such as elements 36, shown in FIG. 4, or the
package 1 itself, are used as holding means in lieu of the adherent
medium.
When the container is folded, to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, such
holding means will cause the retainer tabs to fully raise. The interior
surface material of the container is essentially the same length as the
external surface material. Therefore the interior surface material is put
under a compressive or "buckling" force when the container is folded into
the configurations shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows how such
compressive force lifts the retainer tabs 18, 18' as the container is
folded along fold lines 10 and 10'. As the side panels 2 and 2' are
progressively lifted toward the viewer (as shown in FIG. 4), the side
flaps 6, 8, 6', and 8', held in place by the holding means, are forced to
compress the side sections 20, 21, 20' and 21'. With continued folding,
the side sections and retainer tabs "buckle" upwardly, as shown in FIG. 4,
in the direction of the viewer until they reach the three dimensional
configuration shown in FIG. 3.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the retainer tabs, especially their
cut-out portions 24, 24', fixably engage and retain the comparably shaped
comestible package 1, shown in phantom.
The uniform and controlled "raising" of the retainer tabs is directed by
the oblique fold lines 26, 28, 30, 32, 26', 28', 30', 32' which are
disposed at angles, "A" and "B", of less than 90.degree. with respect to
the transverse fold lines 16, 16'.
Thus, the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and
described. It must be clearly understood that the preferred embodiments
are capable of variation and modification and are not limited to the
precise details set forth. For example, it is apparent that the blank from
which the inventive container is made can be any number of different sheet
materials and the actual methods for cutting, folding and glueing the side
flaps can be varied. Also, the dual fastener tabs and slots can be made
unitary or can be replaced by equivalent means. This invention includes
all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the
appended claims.
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